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Campaigns of United Colors of Benetton

-By Rakesh Pati

All the ads of United Colors of Benetton are abstract for a person who doesn't understand the underlying philosophy of UCB. But still the ads attract the consumers. The ads do not have anything that deals with clothing. Rather all the ads of UCB are associated with some social cause. Most of the ad campaigns arise a feeling to associate with the cause. Each human being wants to be associated with some good cause and raise voice against wrong and corrupt practices but most of the people do not have enough time to take part in such kind of events. The ads of UCB focus on this latent yet strong desire of people. Though the quality and the range of colors are the strength of UCB but still most of the customers of UCB are associated because they feel a sense of achievement by joining a group for some common social cause. Most of the buyers of the UCB are image conscious rather than price sensitive. They get associated with UCB to get a feel of improvement in their personality. The association with UCB social cause also helps them to improve the perception of the community about their values. They want the society to perceive them as a person with a positive attitude and have interest in making world a better place. The UCB customers along with the dress look forward to buy all these attributes. I like most of the ads campaigns of UCB and feel that they have really achieved a milestone by making the people aware about the social cause and injustice. By creating a cult of people with same kind of feeling for certain issue, Benetton has not only achieved huge fan following but a differentiating brand image. Most of the people now can associate UCB with the social ads even though there might not be any explicit mention about United Colors of Benetton. But I feel that even 1% of active participation in the social cause can help much more than joining such a group.

Let's examine certain issues acknowledge by UCB and how it affected their customer. A Benetton group was created in 1965. It grew with time and people started to know it for its business model which was unique, flexible and innovative. Benetton gained great attention in late 1980's due to effective ad campaign by Benetton communication. They acknowledge a major issue of social discrimination on the racial grounds. Their campaign focused on the equity of black and white. This created a strong reaction in the black community in US. Due to series of such campaigns most of the blacks got associated with UCB and became loyal customers.

Another theme that was promoted by UCB in early 1990's is equality in diversity and the universal theme to reduce cultural barriers. This ad campaign spread the message of communal harmony across various cultures. It encouraged that with increasing number of people of various culture, community and country migrating to US every year, it becomes very important to maintain equality and break cultural barriers. It also spread the message of mutual love across various cultures.

AIDS and HIV was another major social concern. Benetton took the challenge to spread the use of condoms in a way that it becomes a fashion. They took out their first ad where they showed a picture of various colors of condoms. Later on during the 1992 Olympics games in Barcelona Benetton launched another ad in which condoms were placed as Olympics circles. This drew the attention of a lot of people who were concerned about safe sex but thought using a condom is a strenuous and dull activity. Benetton presented a bright picture of the condoms and advertise use of condom as fashionable and exiting.

Another idea which was spread by the ad campaign of Benetton is that the death is the ultimate truth and in a war only the death wins. There was majorly two ad campaign which focused on this issue. The first was a picture of World War I cemetery in France with long rows of crosses symmetrically aligned as reminders that in wartime and the loss it caused to millions. In another ad a blood stained T shirt and trousers belonging to a soldier, who was killed during the war in former Yugoslavia, become a symbol of peace.

Some of the other campaigns of UCB includes are the issues related to victims of crime or war, human rights issues, food for life, Corleone, etc. Some of the campaign also raised questions about colonialism, racism and cultural poverty, an obscure and insidious illness, violence and intimidation, forced emigration, natural catastrophes. Finally it also launched campaign about the spreading of love across the globe.

So go and buy from UCB and be a part of the group